Virgin Trains handed temporary 23-month contract to run West Coast main line

Virgin Trains has been handed a temporary contract to run services on the West Coast main line (Picture: PA)

Virgin Trains has been handed a temporary contract to run services on the West Coast main line for another 23 months, the government has announced.

Sir Richard Branson’s rail company had lost out on a bid to keep running the service earlier this year but the decision to award the deal to FirstGroup was overturned after the billionaire business man launched a legal challenge.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, who scrapped the bidding for the service after faults were found with the process, said Virgin will be in charge of the London to Scotland route until November 9 2014 and after that a long-term contract would be given to a winning bidder.

The government added if an adequate company could be found sooner to run the service full-time they could shorten the 23-month temporary period by up to six months.

Mr McLoughlin said: ‘We are determined to ensure not only that passengers continue to experience the same levels of service they have in the past, but that services improve.’

The transport secretary said there would now be a train every hour that travelled between the route and there would also be other improvements as part of the deal agreed with Virgin.

‘I am also extremely pleased that passengers will benefit from up to 28,000 more seats daily thanks to the delivery of 106 new Pendolino carriages on to the West Coast line which has happened on budget and ahead of schedule,’ he added.